DA: Hopkinton gun suspect showed up to court drunk

Thursday

Jun 22, 2017 at 9:00 PMJun 22, 2017 at 9:00 PM

Norman Miller Daily News Staff @Norman_MillerMW

A day after a judge ordered a Hopkinton man, who had been charged with shooting his neighbor’s car, to stay away from booze, he showed up drunk at Framingham District Court on Thursday, authorities said.

William Reynolds Cary, 54, had a blood alcohol level of more than .10 when he met with his probation officer on Thursday, prosecutor Wendi Safran said.

“Considering how soon it is after his release, it shows that he won’t follow any conditions of release,” she said.

On Thursday, Hopkinton Police arrested Cary at his 59 Pine Island Road home after an investigation into the June 7 shooting of Cary’s neighbor’s car. Someone shot the taillight, and the car’s owner found a .22 caliber bullet in his trunk.

That neighbor and another said Cary would sometimes use a .22 caliber rifle to try to shoot animals in his backyard. Both neighbors said Cary appeared drunk while doing so, Safran said.

Police searched the home and did not locate the gun, but found more than 200 rounds of .22 caliber ammunition, a host of other ammunition and other items, Safran said.

On Wednesday, Judge Jennifer Stark set bail for Cary at $1,500. If he posted bail, he was not to drink and submit to random alcohol tests. The judge also ordered Cary to meet with probation as soon as he was released.

Late Wednesday night, Cary’s girlfriend bailed him out of the Middlesex House of Correction in Billerica, and he went to court around noon on Thursday, and that’s when he failed his test, Safran said.

Safran asked Judge Martine Carroll to revoke Cary’s bail and to hold him for 90 days, but Cary’s lawyer, Virginia Yeamans, argued that her client needs help with his alcoholism.

“I spoke to his girlfriend who told me when he (Cary) was bailed, he was in terrible shape, shaking, and maybe he was detoxing,” said Yeamans. “I’m asking you to release him so he can get the help he needs.”

Carroll revoked Cary’s bail, but only until next week. She ordered that a device be installed on his phone that will check him several times a day to see if he's drinking. The device won’t be available until sometime next week. Once it is available, he’ll be released.

Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date crime news, follow Norman Miller on Twitter @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.